8A Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014 Feather River Bulletin
TRAC wants to lure visitors,
businesses to Plumas County
Austin Hagwood
Staff Writer
Austin.G.Hagwood.l@nd.edu
Imagine a Plumas County
revived with mountain bikes
and hiking boots strapped to
the cars of excited visitors.
Imagine them exploring the
forests, moving to local
communities and starting
new businesses of their own
in towns reborn.
Such is the vision of Trails
for Recreation and
Community, a volunteer
group devoted to
transforming the culture and
business climate of Plumas
County. With a new
memorandum of
understanding between its
members and the U.S. Forest
Service, TRAC may move one
step closer to its goal of
crafting countywide trails.
But the challenge has just
begun.
For TRAC co-founder and
Portola native Tim Rhode, a
drive through his hometown
sparked a call to action.
"My son and I recently
drove through town and
counted buildings, and 35
percent of the buildings in •
Portola were vacant, for rent
or for sale," he said. "This is
the situation."
Rhode remembered the
example of Oakridge,
Oregon, a rural town not
unlike Portola. When logging
and the railroad industry
declined, the community of
3,000 reinvented itself into a
capital for mountain biking
and outdoor recreation.
Since Oakridge installed a
network of trails in 2010, 14
new businesses have opened
on Main Street.
"What we have over
Oakridge is that we already
have recreation
infrastructure in place --
several golf courses, great
fishing, some trails for
hiking and a few for
mountain biking," Rhode
said. "We have millions of
people -- Sacramento, Reno,
Tahoe, the Bay Area --
within a three- to four-hour
radius."
In collaboration with the
Sierra Buttes Trail
Stewardship organization,
TRAC developed the Mohawk
Rim Trail Plan for
singletrack trails stretching
from Portola and Graeagle to
Lake Davis and Mount
Hough. Because trails are
oriented around central
communities, visitors will
enjoy close proximity to
recreation and stimulate the
local economy.
"Our businesses could
market this Mohawk Rim
Trail as something for people
all over the world to enjoy,"
Rhode said. "We would have
Downieville, Graeagle,
Portola, the Mount Hough
area and Lake Davis. It
would be a draw unmatched
in northern California. We
can turn out areas into a
recreational mecca."
Rhode spoke of difficulties
TRAC faces when working
through the U.S. Forest
Service's process. To gauge
public opinion, TRAC
received over 300 responses
to a recreation survey, with
98 percent of respondents
expressing interest in more
trails. The organization also
has over 50 letters of support
from business leaders and
private citizens.
Plumas National Forest
Beckwourth District Ranger
Deb Bumpus shared Rhode's
frustrations but underscored
her limited staff and funds.
"TRAC is a very good
group that represents a lot of
diverse interests in the
community," she said. "The
difficulty of working with the
government i.s that we do
have a lot of process and it
takes a lot of persistence and
commitment to get to an end
result."
Bumpus also noted the
difficulty of deviating from
the Forest Service's master
plan and said funding
priorities change every year.
"It's really hard to forecast
with our forest because our
priorities arenotonly what
we set for ourselves," she
said. "We also have to get
agreement from the regional
office. Our forest-wide
priorities for the next three
years will be the
implementation of our fire
restoration plan."
But Rhode fears time is
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Get Ready for the
TRAC co-founder Tim Rhode stands in front of the Lake Davis Trailhead marker. The Beckwourth
Ranger District hopes to identify a re-route by October after the discovery of nesting bald eagles
last fall. Photo by Austin Hagwood
"We're trying to do big things and
are struggling to get even small
projects through the process."
Tim Rhode, TRAC co-founder
running short, first will involve finishing
"We appreciate the MOU Phase 2 of the Lake Davis
and working with the district Trail, which was paused after
ranger and recognize that two bald eagles were
they're short on staff and discovered nesting near the
funds," Rhode said. "But proposed trail last fall. The
candidly it's been Forest Service hopes to find a
disheartening trying to re-route between now and
implement small initiatives October after environmental
to finish past projects. We're impact studies.
trying to do big things and "The last part will take it •
are struggling to get even all the way around the lake,"
small projects through the Bumpus said. "Oncewe
process." decide to build anytl ing, we
These smaller efforts have to consult with
include two "pilot" projects archaeologists. Completing
-- a trail around Lake Davis that third phase will
and restoring a 1.4-mile probably not occur next year
mid-section of the Mills Peak due to our two other
Trail -- both of which have projects."
met slow progress. The second project is the
"What we're still trying to Crocker Multiuse OHV Trail,
work out between the two a joint effort with the county
groups is that having money, government designed to
doesn't necessarily equate mitigate the loss of the
getting a specific project Beckwourth-Genesee Road,
done," Bumpus said. "It still scheduled to be paved by the
has to fit into the planning Federal Highway
process and the objectives Administration next year.
the Forest Service has." The new location will
The Beckwourth Ranger provide 5 miles of trails from
District plans to pursue two the Crocker Cutoff Road to
trail projects next year. The Red Clover Valley.
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"The difficulty
of working with
the government is
that we do have
a lot of process
and it takes a lot
of persistence and
commitment to
get to an
end result."
Deb Bumpus, PNF District Ranger
"We're starting the
fieldwork on it this year and
will have an environmental
study next year. They're two
great projects," Bumpus said.
Addressing TRAC and the
Mohawk Rim Trail Plan,
Bumpus supported a network
of trails for eastern Plumas
County but repeated the
difficulties of deviating from
the forest plan.
"When we get to very
specific locational requests
like TRAC has it becomes
much more complicated
internally because we have
to determine if it fits into the
forest plan," she said. "It's an
old plan, and we should be
updating it within three -
five years. The district is
really interested in working
with Plumas County to
develop recreatiOn around
the communities to ensure
that what we do focuses on
those communities. We
continue to meet with them."
Rhode hopes that the
Mohawk Rim Trail Plan
would provide more outreach
opportunities for high school
students working on trail
crews and "stop the drain of
people moving from our
area." He also feels
expanding recreation can
change a community's
culture.
"Other areas have proven
that if you put the
infrastructure in, the jobs
come with it. If you build it,
they will come," he said.
"Another benefit would be
changing the culture of our
towns from that of a
struggling blue-collar area
whose best days are behind it
with the railroad and logging
to an area that's had a
recreational renaissance."
Bumpus reiterated that
slow progress should not
discourage TRAC and the
community from advocating
for more trails.
"What TRAC is doing is a
good model for the
community. They've done a
good job, and they're a group
that's not going to go away,"
she said. "If you look at
where they were a year ago,
they've made great strides. I
know it's frustrating on a
day-to-day basis, but they've
come a long way."
TRAC's next meeting is
open to anyone interested in
learning more and will occur
Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. in the Chalet
View Lodge. To view the
Oakridge, Oregon, promotional
video and witness the town's
transformation, visit
http://vimeo.corii/64268235.
.I 934 birthd
scheduled for
Claiming it was a vintage
year, a group of Plumas
County residents, all born in
1934, will celebrate their
group's 80th birthday at 2
p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at the
Spring Garden home of Bill
and Dolly Lake.
Bob Melms started the 1934
Party more than a decade ago,
and members have kept the
yearly bash going.
The party is a potluck:
bring a dish to share, plus
your own entree to barbecue.
The Lakes will supply the hot
barbecue, the cold ice chests
for drinks, paper plates,
flatware and birthday cake.
Participants should also
bring a birthday gift if they
wish to take part in the
exchange.
For more information,
contact Bill or Dolly Lake at
283-2863.
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